A set of tools and methods for inclusive neighbourhood regeneration was developed for the historical Šnipiškės neighbourhood (Vilnius) and launched in cooperation with its residents in 2o12-2o15. It aims at developing and strengthening local solidarity network through cooperative actions in public space. Laimikis main principle is to bring people together by activating public spaces in the neighbourhood and building sustainable initiatives. Despite some of the tools are very simple and evident (like notice boards), in many neighbourhoods they are missing. Also, we widely applied arts-based participatory research approach. Previously to implementing these tools Laimikis team made a field research in the neighbourhood that took 4,5 months. Also, we have rented a flat to leave in Šnipiškės during this period of time.

Two last weekends of May are reserved for the a series of Open code urban furniture workshops in 4 Vilnius neighbourhoods: 4 urban furniture sets, 4 neighbourhoods, 4 different scenarios of use. Urban furniture is not only a tool for configuring new community spaces, but also a tool for revealing the logics of neighbourhood places. The first workshop of this series took place at Antakalničių sodas (Antakalnis) and Šnipiškiečiai (wooden Šnipiškės) on 2015 June 23 and 24. And is going to take place in Lazdynai and šv. Stepono street on June 30 and 31. Each space is different from the others: while in Antakalnis there is the first community garden, located in the historical part, wooden Šnipikės experience the redevelopment pressure, Lazdynai is a residential area built in the Soviets, and šv. Stepono is an inner yard in the old town of Vilnius!
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Paskutiniai du gegužės savaitgaliai skirti dirbtuvėms kaimynijose, kur kartu su vietos gyventojais įkūriame po vieną lauko baldų komplektą, pritaikydami jį bendruomenės poreikiams. Vietą ir baldo konfigūraciją atviro kodo baldo įrengimui siūlo vietos gyventojai. 4 atviro kodo baldų komplektai, 4 rajonai, 4 skiritingi naudojimo scenarijai. Tokiu būdu atviro kodo miesto baldai tarnauja ne tik kaip įrankis atvirai bendruomeninei erdvei, skatinančiai komunikaciją ir dalinimąsi, sukurti, bet ir kaip tyrimo metodas, leidžiantis suprasti bendruomeninių erdvių funkcionavimo principus bei sukartografuoti rajonų gyventojų poreikius.

How urban furniture could help in arranging open public space? How to combine usual needs of the neighbourhood residents with the possibility to tranform and develop local urban spaces? How to arrange dynamic and playful spaces in the neighbourhoods? Together with the interdisciplinary group of urban practitioners and active residents of various professions, we explore these questions by developing an open code urban furniture, which is going to be launched in several Vilnius neighbourhoods for further re-arrangements of local public spaces. Co-design workshop will take place through May 2015, and we invite you to join the creative process!
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Kaip miesto baldai galėtų prisidėti formuojant arba stiprinant vietinius pasitikėjimo ir pagalbos tinklus, kurių pagrindu ir formuojasi miesto bendruomenės? Mes siekiame atsakyti į šį klausimą, kartu su interdisciplinine miesto praktikų komanda ir aktyviais Vilniaus kaimynijų atstovais įrengdami atviro kodo miesto baldų dirbtuves. Dirbtuvės vyks visą gegužę, o šio mėnesio antroje pusėje keli atviro kodo miesto baldų komplaktai bus įrengti keliose Vilniaus kaimynijose! Kviečiame dalyvauti!

A short guide to informal communication tools for communities and neighbourhoods was translated and published in Germany! Our group and our partners, who are involved in neighbourhoods management, communities development and informal education, explore forms of playful informal interaction in public spaces and neighbourhoods and share some of the cases, which we have developed in our work.
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We sum up initiatives, which our team launched in the wooden neighbourhood of Šnipiškės (Vilnius) in collaboration with local residents and invited artists in spring-summer-early autumn 2o13. We are grateful for your support and participation, which inspired us to do a lot of things. As most of community initiative we launch are sustainable, they will be continued in spring/summer 2o14! This of the initiative is a toolbox for a neighbourhood regeneration, and it is based on Laimikis.lt 6 years experience of working on revitalisation of public spaces.

Seeking to take part in revitalization of Šnipiškės neighbourhood, a wooden district just next to skyscrapers, we apply communication tools and tactics, which we have already developed working with public spaces for last six years. We have started with mapping the potential of the area, including public spaces, meeting points, recreation, infrastructure, local networks. As we identified hot-spots, we arranged communication points: norice boards arenot only as a place for posting announcements, but as pretexts and places for meetings. While arranging “Neighbours Wall”, we were contacted by at least 10 local dwellers, who shared their stories and visions of improvement of the place.
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Šnipiškės – unikalus žalias medinis rajonas su turtinga istorija, kuris galėtų tapti vilniečių traukos centru. Siekdami atgaivinti šį rajoną, pritaikome įrankius ir taktikas, kurias naudojame dirbdami su apleistomis viešosiomis erdvėmis, aikštėmis ir skverais. Mūsų pirmas žingsnis – vizualinės rajono taptybės paieškos ir “Kaimynų lentų” įrengimas. Mūsų grupė mato informacinės lentas ne tik ir ne tiek kaip plotą skelbimams, bet kaip susitikimo vietą ir progą aptarti savo gatvės problemas ir galimybes.

ECF Research & Development Grant

2o15: "Co-Design Workshops: Urban Furniture for Sharing" (aka Open Code Urban Furniture) brings together urban practitioners and active representatives of local neighbourhoods for developing open source design solutions for public spaces. The project is a part of creative cluster, formed with radarq.net & European Alternatives.

Co-Urbanism: Citizen Participation

A collaborative project "Citizen Participation in Urban Governance: Tools and Cases", launched in the end of 2014 by Laimikis.lt and Minsk urban platform aims to develop a regional network of NGOs and active citizens, involved into the development of urban spaces and local communities.

• 2o14, July 25-27: Summer school "Creative and social practices in public space", St.Petersburg. Tutorship.

• 2o14, June 20-21: Hosting an international Grundtvig partnership seminar-workshop "Participatory and Arts-based Research Approaches: the engaging tactics of collecting and communicating ethnographic data", Vilnius.

• 2o14, June 13-20: Public lecture & training session for the participants of the Kaukas summer school "Reanimation of public space", Kaunas.

• 2o13 Oct 2-4: Strategies of preserving the old and creating the new in the urban spaces: Cases of the Baltic region Countries (New Urban Topologies, the Center of Contemporary Art and Urbanism Fargfabriken & TOK), Saint Petersburg, Russia

• 2o13, April 24-28: Laimikis team visits their colleagues in Berlin and explores community gardens initiatives.

• 2o13, Jan 23 - Feb 2: Laimikis team visits their Portuguese colleagues (ICE), who develop a regional project, focused on actualization of historical memory and cultural heritage. Castelo de Vide school, Instituto Politécnico de Portalegre, Ferreira do Alentejo municipality and several museums and galleries around the region are involved.